Inherit the Wind: Parallel Trials

In the Edmonds Woodway Theater, the year finishes boldly with a drama: “Inherit the Wind” by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. The story takes place in a deeply religious town called Hillsboro in the 1920s that charged a teacher for telling children of Darwin’s theory of evolution that contrasted all religious beliefs.

This dramatic play highlighted the talents of the class of 2018, showing off their variety and ability to stray from their usual comedic strong suit. Seniors Elena Pierce, Helen Su, Neo King, Joe Flynn, Makenzie Castillo, Muhammad Faal, Brandon Tiehen and Bella Reardin all said farewell with the final play. Each of their unique acting skills pulls the viewer into the scene, captivating the audience at every moment.

It’s the details, like the glint in their eyes and their vocal tones, and character development through the guidance of drama teacher Bruce Mindt. This class is leaving behind a strong legacy of creative character development, each being a role model for underclassmen. Seeing each of them in a stirring new light has caused their goodbye to be even more emotional and inspiring.

The future of EWHS Play Pro looks bright; the seniors have mentored a group of teens who are passionate and dedicated to their work. “Inherit the Wind” displayed some of the future students, who all show promise in the ability to hold together a scene with integrity. Due to the seniors’ leadership, the students know what characterization looks like.

Beyond the acting, the choice of this play is highly applicable to this current global climate. The trial shows undeniable parallels between the Scopes trials cases and the current increasing amount of sexual assault trials.

For example, the accused teacher, like women who come to the court with their assault trials, was isolated and disrespected by the communities. A second example is the teacher, Bertram Cates, was the first to create a case against the unjust law against Darwinism and he therefore gave courage to future people to come forward with their beliefs.

Similarly, the first women to talk about their assault publically, also gave power to the other 81% of women and 43% of men. This play, though it seems to have no similarities to the current trials, being focused on men, still has great importance to women in 2018.

This social commentary is something new for Play Pro and is greatly influential to the community. In the future, more current dramas can create a new awareness for students in Edmonds in the creative and unique format of plays.

The seniors of play production leave behind a great legacy of newfound political awareness and detailed characterization, marked by their last play of high school.